Sports

4:57am

Sweetness And Light

Kelly Hirano, vice president of engineering, demonstrates the Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy contest during a product launch in July in San Francisco. Yahoo has designed this experience for the mobile fantasy player and offers Daily Fantasy, Full Season Fantasy, and real-time sports news and scores as an all-in-one experience.

Eric RisbergAP

Listen

Listening...

/

3:19

Listen to the Story

In the famous Disney movie, a carpenter named Geppetto longed to have a son. He carved a puppet of a boy, and, wouldn't you know it, the wooden Pinocchio magically became a real child. Fantasy games are the Pinocchio of sport, for all who play them become Geppettos. Isn't it the dream of every fan to construct his or her own team, as Geppetto wanted to carve out a son?

5:37am

Author Interviews

William Finnegan surfs Cloudbreak, off the island of Tavarua in Fiji, in 2005.

Scott Winer

Listen

Listening...

/

7:18

Listen to the Story

William Finnegan is a New Yorker journalist, but his new memoir doesn't focus on the wars or controversies he's covered. It's about surfing.

Finnegan traces his love of surfing back to his childhood, when he used to watch surfers in Ventura, Calif. He remembers being 10 years old, sitting with his family in a diner, watching waves break on the coast.

It seemed "like they were arriving from some celestial workshop ... carved by ocean angels," he writes. "I wanted to be out there, learning to dance on water."

4:38pm

The Two-Way

Zach Johnson won the 144th Open Championship at The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, on Monday. He's seen here teeing off on the 18th hole in the playoff round.

Andrew RedingtonGetty Images

American Zach Johnson has added a second major title to his career, winning the British Open on Monday in a dramatic four-hole playoff. Masters and U.S. Open champion Jordan Spieth narrowly missed a chance to join the playoff, quashing dreams of a Grand Slam in 2015.

"It's surreal," an emotional Johnson said after the win, adding: "I'm thankful. I can't play any better than I did. My wife is my rock."

7:20am

Sports

The Rubik's Cube world championships were held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, over the weekend, drawing participants from more than 40 countries. The winner completed his cube in 5.69 seconds.

Lourdes Garcia-NavarroNPR

Listen

Listening...

/

2:41

Listen to the Story

Brazil hosted the World Cup last year. Next year, it will host the Summer Olympics. On Sunday, though, the country played host to another international gathering of talented competitors: the Rubik's Cube World Championship.

This past weekend, hundreds of "speedcubers," as they're known, descended on Sao Paulo from over 40 countries, to take part in three days of intensive competition.

4:43am

Major League Dreams

Tyler Saladino throws out Chicago Cubs catcher Taylor Teagarden during a game between the crosstown rivals at Chicago's Wrigley Field on July 10.

Tannen MauryEPA/Landov

Listen

Listening...

/

3:48

Listen to the Story

There's something special about going to a major league ballpark. Seeing smiling kids with their parents, the sizzle of bratwursts, the smell of fresh popcorn and the taste of overpriced beer — and yelling at the umpires, of course. It's what America's pastime is all about.

Nearly half a million people play baseball in high school every year. Just a small fraction, about 7 percent, play in college. Of those, an even tinier number get to the minor leagues. And making it to the majors — that's really rare.